For John Galloway, Joel White, a Lifetime Friendship Decked in Orange

As senior leaders of the Syracuse defense, their connection on the field is evident no matter your perspective. After stopping an opposing shot on the cage for the top-ranked Orange, John Galloway can seemingly find longstick midfielder Joel White in the blink of an eye, hitting him in stride to spark the high-flying ‘Cuse fast break.

“I know where he is every time,” says Galloway, in describing his connection with White. “I know where to throw it, I know where to put it for him to catch it and he’s always in the spots I need him to be.”

The determination and skill of the two returning first-team All-Americans are paramount to a Syracuse defense that over the last two seasons has allowed the program’s lowest single-season goals-allowed averages: 7.38 in 2009 and 7.4 in 2010.

Last season, for the first time in the Orange’s history, the team’s defense led the nation, with Galloway posting Division I’s lowest GAA (7.16) on his way to being named the C. Markland Kelly Award winner as top goalie in the land. White led the team in groundballs (78) and caused turnovers (31), put up 6 goals and 4 assists, and won the MacLaughlin Award as Division I’s most outstanding midfielder.

Needless to say, Galloway and White have already put themselves in the Syracuse history books as two of the most successful defensive players in the program’s illustrious past. Now, in their final campaign, the pair of student-athletes stand poised as the backbone of a team boasting an outstanding 50 wins and only 6 losses — along with two national titles — in their time on the roster.

What’s perhaps lesser known is that off the field and out of the media spotlight, Galloway and White are four-year roommates who have become inseparable friends, much like blood brothers, leaning on one another through the challenges and glory of playing lacrosse at a national powerhouse.

“I’d take the shirt off my back and give it to him at any point,” Galloway says of White. “To have a friendship like that and to be so compatible on the field, I think that’s the craziest part. People like to trip us and give us a hard time, but I think they know we’ve had such a good time for four years now. Most roommates get sick of each other and need change, and I don’t think we’ve ever really fought. If we did, it just ended with us laughing it off.”

Yin and Yang

As a standout three-sport athlete at Cortland High School already committed to play lacrosse at Syracuse, White called Galloway out of the blue one evening and asked the then-senior West Genesee netminder if he would be his roommate in their freshman year with the Orange.

“You don’t find a friend like that overnight, but that’s exactly what happened,” says White, who teamed with Galloway and several other Syracuse roster members on the CNY team at 2006 Empire State Games, but had never competed against him until his senior season. He certainly wasn’t aware of just how serious the goalie takes the sport of lacrosse.

For White — a relaxed guy quick to crack a joke — it took some acclimation to Galloway’s polar-opposite, oftentimes intense personality. He finally got a taste of Galloway’s pokerfaced in-game demeanor in the spring of his senior season at a scrimmage between Cortland and Genny, not long after his whimsical phone call.

“They were smoking us,” says White, who was bumped from midfield to attack once the score got out of hand and the Wildcats began to pull away.

Galloway, already agreed to room with the Tigers standout, wouldn’t even acknowledge White’s presence on the field — not even as much as a nod in White’s direction, instead remaining focused on the scrimmage, even with a one-sided score.

White repeatedly watched as after each Wildcat goal, his future roommate would huddle briefly with his defense and bump fists. Feeling snubbed and hoping to lighten the mood, White thought he would join in.

“So they scored again, and I ran back with his three defenders, and I go to pound John’s fist and he wouldn’t do it!” White laughs. “I said to one of his teammates, ‘What’s his problem?’ And then I started to get a little nervous wondering how serious this kid was going to be, because I’m pretty laid back.”

Galloway would eventually pick up on his fellow freshman’s calm disposition as an athlete, observing that White’s approach to his first year of college lacrosse was somewhat more fun-loving than his own. Having joined Syracuse following its notoriously disappointing 2007 season, both players quickly bonded as they faced significant challenges early on: Galloway was given the chance to compete for the starting goalie spot, and White, in possibly the game’s greatest cross-over, was extended an invitation to put down his shortstick in exchange for a longpole.

It was their vastly different attitudes, Galloway says, that allowed the players to not only connect as freshman, but to thrive alongside one another as they strived to become young leaders on a stacked Syracuse team in 2008, eventually helping lead the team to the NCAA Championship victory.

“We complement each other,” the goaltender says. “You have a guy like me who is always worrying about stuff, and then you’ve a guy next to you who is laughing it off and enjoying life regardless of what is happening on the field. It makes you at ease. That was such a big part of my success as a freshman. I was able to let things roll off my shoulder because I watched my roommate do that.”

Galloway says White’s willingness to change positions for the team is an example of the selfless and devoted leadership he displays, which is one of the reasons that White’s teammates admire him so deeply.

“I’ve seen Joel make serious sacrifices for guys on this team,” he says. “I think everyone’s fed on that kind of leadership. When guys on the team come to Joel, they’re not necessarily intimidated by him. They’re willing to talk to him, and they are very respectful of him because they know how much he means to this program and what he would do for this team.”

As a young player, White too learned from his roommate by observing his every step. White was impressed to see Galloway putting in hundreds of extra hours of work in the cage and making early efforts to build camaraderie as a freshman. In December 2007, Galloway started his own holiday tradition of sending a Christmas e-mail to all of the Syracuse players, filling the message with colorful stories of fall ball and the team’s progress in order to boost team morale and with plenty of humor to bring players closer together.

“The leadership he had as a freshman — what he put upon himself on the field, what he took on his shoulders — that was a real eye-opener for me,” White says. “It really showed a lot about his personality for him to be that passionate about the team as a freshman.”

One Last Run

Sitting at 5-0 for the first time since 2000 and heading into this weekend’s matchup with longtime rival Johns Hopkins as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, the Orange are widely considered an early favorite to reach at least the Final Four this season. While much of the team’s motivation lies in their disappointment from last year and a desire to return the program to glory, Galloway and White draw additional energy from simply feeding off of each other’s success.

“To be on the field with John all this time and to be roomed with him, it’s been a pleasure, and I’m pumped to get one last run with him,” White said.

Galloway, however, is quick to point out that while he and White have a special bond of their own, the team itself is a large and tight-knit crew, wildly hungry for success as a unit this season.

“This is one last opportunity for us to show everybody how special this relationship is, not only with Joel and myself, but with the rest of the senior class who wants to bring another banner to the Dome.”

Thanks to Major League Lacrosse holding its 2011 entry draft prior to the start of the season, Galloway and White already know they can keep their friendship going as members of the same lacrosse team. Both players were taken by the recently relocated Rochester Rattles, just an hour and half west of Syracuse, close to both players’ family and friends, as well as the large Orange fan base.

“I look forward to keeping the friendship going with John,” says White. “That’s really what it’s about. We built over four years what many people don’t have. I respect the kind of person he is and the kind of player he is. You just don’t find that anywhere. He’s the greatest guy I’ve ever met.”